The Nine Seeds
by Kintokun
Summary: Nine humans cursed with their respective beasts. They've endured hardship, anger, and hatred. Some have snapped. Some have endured. But it all comes down to these nine and what their future holds. Only time will tell if the Akatsuki truly capture all nine beasts and wreak havoc on the world or if the jinchuuriki and rise up together and carve their own destinies.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Seeds

I knew someone was behind me the minute I heard the snap of a twig. I was used to people hunting me. It was rare for me to go at least a week without encountering a group of ninja looking for me. I didn't know why I was Public Enemy #1 but I didn't bother questioning anything. Usually Jiraiya would find me and come to the rescue and soon after we'd be on the move again looking for another place to stay. I felt sorry that the old man had to sacrifice everything for me But he'd always been there and I was thankful, even though I didn't tell him.

But Pervy Sage wasn't very close to where I was now. I had left the town inn we were staying at to come into the forest and train. Pervy Sage had always put the importance on learning how to protect myself and I really did want to get stronger. Look where it's got me now.

I turned quickly to face the figures behind me and withdrew a kunai from the pack on my thigh. I stared at them, an eyebrow raised. They didn't look like the normal ninja in black robes that usually came after me; they were decent looking. One of them had red hair which was tied up in a high ponytail and black eyes. He wore a large grin on his face which seemed inviting at first, but I remembered that he was a stranger and strangers were dangerous. The other one was more intimidating. He was tall for my age and his eyes were hard and a dark shade of brown. His hair was long and brown, reaching down past his shoulder blades. He had no shirt but did wear a pair of loose pants tucked into black open-toed boots. Both of them had no forehead protector which means I had no idea what village they were from.

My first instinct was to run. These people seemed way out of my league. But curiousity got the better of me, "Who are you?" I asked them although I was mentally screaming at my stupidity.

"Hello, there! I am Roshi and this is Han. I'm sorry if I did scare you by any chance. I didn't mean to." Roshi said. I looked at the other boy who must've been Han. He didn't look like much of a talker.

"Go away!" I spat hoping he would listen. Roshi only lifted his hands up in surrender and smiled.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. I understand how you feel, after all I used to be in your position before I met Han. In fact me and Han actually came here to help you," Roshi hastily explained.

"I don't even know who you are! How do you expect me to just go with you? You could be one of those black robe guys!" I said. I would never admit it but I was scared to death of those people. Pervy Sage told me stories of how Konoha had fell to their destructive power. How the Fourth Hokage had stood up to them and sacrificed his life for his wife, who was being hunted by those Men. In the end both of them had died but the monster inside the Fourth Hokage's wife had not fallen into their clutches. Pervy Sage seemed like he fell into a trance whenever he spoke about it. And then tears started to run down his face until I brought him back to reality. I didn't understand what was wrong but I knew something about those people were scary if it was enough to bring Pervy Sage, who was always smiling and jubilant, to tears.

"I know, I know. I don't exactly make the best first impression but...just give me a chance to explain myself and maybe you could consider the offer I'm making?" Roshi pleaded. I didn't trust these people one bit. Like I said, I had no idea who they were or what their true motives were. Roshi seemed like a good guy, but looks were deceiving. And Pervy Sage always told me to never talk to strangers. I had broken that rule already and I wasn't going to take it a step further.

Before I could say anything, Han grunted, "Enough with the negotiating, there's no point in sugarcoating anything anyways. Just give it to him straight Roshi."

Roshi looked at his friend for a second and frowned. He said something to him quietly so I wouldn't hear and Han clenched his fists, clearly something had angered him.

"Sorry, Han can be a bit-" An explosion cut him off. It came from behind in the direction of the small town me and Pervy Sage were staying. My jaw dropped and my feet moved immediately. I ran faster than I ever thought was humanly possible. I heard someone yell something but I ignored it. The only thing that mattered was the Inn and Pervy Sage. Pretty soon I was on all fours, which seemed strangely natural. The world blurred past me in mixtures of green, brown, yellow, and white. I jumped over tree roots and pushed through bushes and shrubbery. Finally the forest was behind me and instead I ran down alleyways and through noisy streets. People ran the opposite way, screaming and crying out for help. I kept going until I had reached the inn.

There was a huge crater where the inn was supposed to be. The surrounding buildings had chunks of them taken out, as if someone had reach down from the heavens and trapped the area in a glass orb. The people in the inn were scattered around me, groaning in pain. Some of them had weird black sticks protruding from their body. But I didn't care about them. I only cared about Jiraiya.

My eyes locked on to some movement down the street. I spotted Pervy Sage fighting six people all at once. They all had orange hair and moved swiftly. But that wasn't all that stuck out.

Each one had a black robe on and black piercings. Red clouds were painted all over it. I froze in fear. Jiraiya's voice rang in my head, _They are way outta your league, Naruto. If you see them, run as fast as you can. _

But I couldn't. Not if he needed me.

I took out another kunai as I had dropped the one I was holding previously and began to run to their position. As soon as I was close enough I threw my kunai their way. It sailed toward one of the orange haired fellows who had his hair up in a long ponytail.

A weird guy with spikes sticking out of his head grabbed the kunai in midair and broke it into pieces. A maniacal grin was plastered on his face as he tilted his head to the side.

Suddenly all of them were looking at me with those creepy eyes of theirs. It was a purplish sort of color with lots of rings around the pupil. They looked very strong. Way out of my league.

"The Nine-Tails." The one with long hair spoke. He smiled deviously. I didn't move at all. I had no idea what a "Nine-Tails" was but I didn't want to find out.

"L-leave Pervy Sage alone!" I managed to say.

"We will. Now that we have you." The other one with short spiky hair and a monotone expression said.

I gritted my teeth and got into a fighting stance.

"Naruto don't! Run!" Pervy Sage suddenly yelled, he emerged from another small crater and formed a series of hand signs. From his mouth came a stream of fire which they all dodged. One of them, Spikes, landed right in front of me. I fell onto my butt which would've been funny in any situation other than this one.

He tilted his head to the side again and his hand shot out, grabbing me around the neck. I flailed helplessly in the air and scratched at his arm. But it was cold and hard, as if he wasn't even human.

I cursed and swore at the monster but he didn't even budge. Before he could do anything more I quickly formed the hand signs for my signature jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" I said. Two duplicates of me appeared and emerged from two plumes of smoke behind me. They reared their fists back and prepared to punch the creature right in his ugly face.

But hands shot out of his shoulders and grabbed my doppelganger's arms. He flung them into the air and they both landed against a building. Soon after they disappeared in another cloud of smoke.

Despair and fear settled in quickly. There was no escape. His grip on me was tight and even more hands grabbed onto my feet and arms, holding me in place. This couldn't possibly be how I died. I was supposed to travel the world with Pervy Sage and learn that blue spirally thingy he promised to teach me. I was supposed to grow up and become the best ninja there is. I was gonna take back Konoha from those stupid Akatsuki fellows and make Jiraiya proud. Make my mom and dad proud, wherever they were.

I had my whole life ahead of me and suddenly it wasn't going to be there anymore.

Everything would end here.

I heard screaming and grunts of pain but I drowned it out. All I could do now was close my eyes and wait for the inevitable.

But the thought of Pervy Sage, holding his own against those five guys, possibly dying by their hands made my eyes snap back open. I took a deep breath and allowed my mind to race, searching for something to get me out of this mess.

"I won't die!" I suddenly exclaimed trying to buy myself time. "Not here! Not now! I am Uzumaki Naruto and I _refuse _to die!"

Power surged through my body and confidence replaced the fear and hopelessness that once dwelled in my mind. I fought against those hands that now pressed me down into the concrete below.

And to my utter shock, they broke into a billion metal pieces. I pulled in my legs and flung them upwards, throwing the mechanical monster off of me and onto the ground a couple feet away from me. I got to my feet and made those same hand signs.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" I yelled. This time, a dozen doppelganger's came to my aid. I smiled and pounded my fist against my open palm. "Come at me!"

Spikes got onto his feet with the same idiotic grin on his face. He charged at me, propelled by jets in his feet. I ducked to avoid his first punched and rolled away.

I got to my feet and threw a barrage of shuriken his way, my clones mirrored my actions. Spikes easily avoided the projectiles, but it allowed me two send three clones his way, they moved quickly and tried to hit Spikes with a barrage of punches and kicks. Finally one of them landed a blow to his stomach which did little damage.

"Keep throwing everything you have at him!" I ordered. The clones nodded and kept on launching shurikens and kunai. Spikes jumped backwards away from the clones to dodge the weapons, but it left him open. I surged forward as the clones nearest to him landed hits on his face and body. I jumped in the air performing a somersault and flying through the air, my leg outstretched. It slammed into Spikes' face and I used it to launch myself backwards.

Spikes slammed into the ground and skidded to a stop. My clones returned to my side and I took that window of time to take a look behind me. Pervy Sage wasn't doing so good. His hair tie was no longer present and his spiky white hair now fell down around him. His clothes were battered and cut everywhere. However he was still fighting, still on his feet. However to my surprise, two familiar figures were fighting with him. Roshi and Han. My eyes met Roshi's for a split second and he smiled at me.

I took four doppelganger's with me and let the others hold off Spikes. I charged forward with as much speed as I could muster and landed right next to Pervy Sage. We were still on the same road but this time the damage was greater. Some of the buildings around us were on fire while others were collapsing as we spoke. The five redheaded men that were still fighting didn't even look tired. They seemed bored.

"Naruto! I told you to run you idiot!" Pervy Sage called.

"Can't get rid of me that easy!" I grinned and he smiled back, shaking his head slightly.

"I wish I was like you sometimes, Naruto." He said softly. I looked at him funny, he never said stuff like that. And I wasn't that special. At least not yet.

"What?" I asked. But a black spike landed near my foot and eliminated all chances of a conversation.

I looked around. Five of them were fighting, three were fighting Han, who was surrounding by hazy white steam, and Roshi who was making the ground redden beneath him. Two were fighting us. One was the spiky haired man, Mr. Monotone while the other was the man with the high ponytail which I decided to name Ponytail.

"Four, Five, Nine. Three birds with one stone." Mr. Monotone said.

"Listen, Naruto, this guy is stronger than you, even stronger than me. The first chance you get I want you to get outta here and don't look back." Pervy Sage ordered. No chance that was happening.

"No, I'm going to fight by your side, Pervy Sage." I insisted.

"Naruto! I'm not joking around! You will _die. _And there's no way I'm letting that happen. I made a promise and I intend to keep it." He proclaimed. "There's been a lot of bad in my life and I don't always make the best choices, but I have faith in you, Naruto. You have the power to make a difference in this godforsaken world and if you die now the world will remain the same. You are the one good thing in my life left and I don't want to lose you too."

My eyes widened. Pervy Sage had always been this stupid pervert with a grin on his face and a weird toad fetish. He'd been my master, my guardian, my teacher, and the only adult figure in my life. Yet he'd never told me anything like this. He'd never tell me any of the soppy stuff, only deep meaningful things about the ninja world and stuff like that. Now here he was, practically telling me he loved me and didn't want me to die before his very eyes.

I hate to say this, Pervy Sage, but you don't always get what you want.

I ran forward with renewed courage and prepared to fight once again. But instead Pervy Sage grabbed my arm and threw me behind him. He then slammed his hand into the ground. I watched as a giant cloud of smoke suddenly shot up from the ground and air slapped my face.

"JIRAIYA!" A booming voice suddenly exclaimed. From the smoke came a giant toad with red skin and a navy blue coat. I couldn't believe this was even possible, that Pervy Sage could summon such a beast.

Pervy Sage took one look at me and then at Roshi and Han who were fighting against the other three men. They seemed to be on their last legs too.

"Roshi! Han! Get Naruto away from here!" He suddenly told them. Han jumped away from the battle and to my side. His hands clasped around my arm and dragged me to my feet. I couldn't even say anything.

"I'm sorry to do this, Naruto. Goodbye," Pervy Sage whispered. Tears streamed down his face and the same happened to me. He turned away and stared at the giant toad who seemed to be spewing curses. "Gamabunta get ready!"

"Pervy Sage! Don't do this to me! Please!" I begged. But Han threw me over his back and ran toward the forest in the opposite direction.

"Gamabunta! Get ready to give it your all!" He yelled to the giant toad that suddenly emerged from the smoke. I kept yelling and flailing but Han had an iron grip on my legs. I looked as Roshi moved his hands and let out a stream of what looked like lava, my eyes widened at the sight of it. The three men jumped back, obviously avoiding the sudden wave of scorching magma.

Roshi looked at us and ran in our direction.

"Put me down! No! Jiraiya, don't do this!" I screamed. The other men in black robes tried to chase us but they were cut off by Jiraiya and Gamabunta who had unsheathed his sword and was preparing to fight off a weird dog.

I cried and sobbed and choked and screamed and cried some more. _It's just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. _I repeated over and over in my head. But it wasn't. This was real life. This was reality. And reality was a bitch.

The last thing I heard before I completely blacked out was Roshi's soft voice, "Such is the fate of a jinchuuriki."


	2. Chapter 2

_I realized I haven't properly introduced myself. Well, I am Kintokun (you probably know by now -_- but anyways this story is inspired by Hakumei and my previous jinchuuriki fanfic Nine is the Lucky Number. I discontinued that story because I wasn't happy with the direction it was taking. To be honest I was really winging it and trying to go chapter by chapter and make decisions like that._

_ But I realized I needed to plan. This is technically a story or even to go so far as to say it's a novel. I need to have some sort of base to build from you know? And so this was born! Please review and favorite if you like it, or don't, its entirely up to you! Thanks for stopping by and please, do review, it lets me know what I should do or fix or keep doing!_

_ Now to explain a couple things, the Uchiha and Shisui are still alive. The Akatsuki took Konoha before Danzo could steal Shisui's eyes. Naruto isn't a member of the village and has been taken in by Jiraiya, blah blah blah. You'll figure out stuff as you go. Also, the group is in Kusagakure! _

Chapter 2: Weather

I hate this. I hate this so much. I thought for so long that I was the only one in the world with this problem. I thought I would be safe and secluded up in my mountain where no one would bother me at all. That I could live my life in peace.

But here I was carrying some random kid and pushing myself to keep running until I collapsed. I knew Roshi wasn't far behind, but I didn't know where those orange-haired fellows were. As far as I knew, one of them could suck chakra right out of you and the other had this weird creature to help him fight. I had punched right through the one with long hair and once the creature had eaten him, it released him and he was good as new. I didn't let it show but it was extremely disturbing.

I never wanted to see them again.

The boy was silent and I figured the shock had rendered him unconscious. Still, I couldn't believe he was a jinchuuriki. He seemed so...young. He couldn't be more than twelve. Even though I was thirteen myself, I was used to this kind of stuff. The constant wave of ninja hunting you down, being separated from your loved ones, being alone. But to see him cry like that. To see him reach for that man like he was the only thing that mattered in the world...somewhere inside me was filled with anger that this had to happen in the first place. All because of whatever was sealed inside of this boy.

"You know, that man promised me we could get to know each other over a cup of tea." Roshi suddenly piped up. I turned to face the boy. He was a year older than me but acted like a senior citizen. He was always smiling and optimistic with some wise comment about life under his sleeve. He was charismatic and friendly, yet it only made him more suspicious to strangers. The first time I saw him, I almost busted his teeth in.

"He seemed nice." I replied, unsure of how to respond.

"Yeah..." Roshi mumbled.

"How long do you think we'll have to keep going?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I never liked things like this. It reminded me of memories I kept trying to forget.

"I want to put as much distance between us and this place. Should we go back to our hideout? All our stuff is there." Roshi suggested.

"Maybe, we have some time...at least I'm hoping that man bought us enough of it." I reminded him.

"Let's just go back to the cave and think of something from there." Roshi said.

And soon enough, we were at the cave. The afternoon sun, which was high in the air was now beginning to move to the west where it would set.

I looked at our pitiful set up. Our packs, filled with food, clothes, and water were resting against the cave wall while a pile of sticks were in the middle, the fire had already been put out. I dropped the boy onto the hard cave floor and fell onto my bottom, resting my hand on my knee. Roshi leaned against the cave wall opposite of me and let out a sigh.

"So six more to go, right? Then we can carry out your stupid plan." I said.

Roshi smiled at my words, "Yeah...six more." He paused. "I hope not all of them are gonna be like this."

I remained silent. But Roshi kept going, "I really hope that man is okay. For the boy's sake I really hope he is. I never had that in my life, someone to care for. I had to find my own way to make the world seem a little bit nicer...but it looks like this boy had more luck than the both of us, huh?"

I shrugged. But my mind was screaming at Roshi to stop.

"I feel it for that kid...I hope he gets past it because I don't think that old man has a very good chance of survival."

"Can you please shut up!?" I suddenly grumbled. I rubbed my forehead and but Roshi still had something to say.

"Not everyone can be some heartless machine like you, Han. Not everyone can just ignore how they feel and try to forget. Part of moving on is remembering!" Roshi spat with as much anger as he could manage. "I don't know what happened to you that makes you this way but I've had enough. Sometimes you just need to acknowledge wake up and smell what's burning."

Roshi got to his feet and left the cave, mumbling something under his breath.

I stared at the spot he was just sitting in. My mind was everywhere, even in the places I didn't want it to be.

He didn't understand what it was like. Every day I had to live with the consequences of my actions. All because of me. All because of this stupid thing inside of me. Roshi didn't know what it was like to wake up night covered in sweat, still shaking from the same nightmare. He didn't know what it was like to have something like that on your conscience 24/7. He would never understand my pain.

For once, I was glad Roshi wasn't here with me, or he would've seen me hold my head in my hands, sobbing quietly.

/\/\/\

I loved being a jinchuuriki.

Sure it had its ups and downs but doesn't everything? The one thing that made it so fun was having wings.

I could fly through the air like a bird with the sun shining down onto my back. I could soar into the sky, away from the world that had done this to me. With Chomei's scale powder I could easily escape any situation that threatened my life. Whether it be my father Sejio sending ninja after me or bandits trying to steal my supplies, there wasn't anything I couldn't run away from.

I didn't have to know where I was, it didn't matter. As long as I could find some place to eat and sleep I was better off than being constantly watched in Takigakure where I had to be the perfect little princess for daddy.

Maybe I was a little too young to start rebelling against my father's wishes. After all I was only twelve. But how could I not? The guy was totally unreasonable. Always shouting orders. Always telling me about the beast inside me and how he was mine. He wasn't even my real dad. He couldn't tell me to do anything. That despicable piece of crap deserved to die for everything he's put me and my mother through.

_You're in that mood again._ Chomei's low voice echoed in my head. She was my only company these days and I appreciated her being there, even if it caused a lot of trouble.

_How can I not feel this way, Chomei? My life was robbed by that man. I could've stayed in my little house with my mom and grown up to become a ninja and do all sorts of cool stuff! _I complained.

_I understand...I guess you do not enjoy my presence. _Great. Chomei was guilt-tripping me again.

_I didn't mean it like that, Chomei! I just wish the circumstances were different and that Sejio wasn't a part of my life. _I explained.

_As do I, but we do not always get what we want in this world, Fuu. _She said. Ugh, she always sounds like some wise old woman when she does that. And I hated to admit she had a point.

_Yeah, whatever...I'm gonna find somewhere to sleep for the night alright? Feels like I've been flying for days..._ I groaned. My back really did hurt from all the work my wings did day after day after day. I had to give myself sometime to just rest until I was back to normal. Which meant my progress would be slowed down tremendously. _Not like I'm going anywhere, _I thought.

I spotted a little cave down below and immediately soared downwards, relieved I had somewhere safe to spend the night. Well, relatively safe.

My feet hit the damp ground silently, I made the mistake of landing quite extravagantly once and my father's men were on me in mere seconds. Shibuki had always told me to be silent when we were younger since I tend to be quite loud.

The thought of Shibuki made my eyes water. My past life may have been filled with some bad but there was some good too. Shibuki was one of those good things.

I pushed the thought from my mind and carried on, my back aching even more. I turned the corner to enter the cave but two figures immediately made me pause. There were two boys in the cave already. One was curled into a ball, crying softly while the other seemed unconscious. Their appearances were drastically different and I knew they couldn't be brothers. _What are they doing out here? _I immediately thought. The boy with long brown hair looked up, his eyes were red and their color was brownish. His expression was shocked at first but he quickly regained his calm.

He got to his feet quickly, "Get out or I'll kill you!" He threatened. Steam began to slowly surround him.

"Hey, I just want a place to sleep for the night. I don't want any trouble!" I said but he wasn't listening. He charged toward me, ready to fight me. I ran the opposite direction and tried to start flying, but a sharp pain immediately made me retract my wings back into my back. I cried out in agony and fell onto my knees after being lifted a couple inches off the ground.

I rolled to the left to avoid the boy's fist which created a small crater in the wet ground. I wondered if the same would happen to me if he hit me. That was enough to get me running.

But he was faster than expected. He jumped into the air and landed in front of me. I tried to run in the opposite direction but he caught my arm and pulled me in towards him. I fell to the ground and groaned in pain.

"Stop!" I begged but the steam around him thickened. But for a second I caught a glimpse of his face. It was contorted in anger and his eyes were full of murderous intent. I desperately pushed myself backwards, fear striking every nerve in my body. This guy would kill me. This guy would rip me to shreds.

He took a step towards me, "Don't! Calm down, please!"

_Kokuo? _Chomei's voice rang in my head. It distracted me for a second, but a second was enough for him. His hand shot out and grabbed my neck. He lifted me into the air and above him. The steam around him burned my neck and my body. _No, no, no, no, no, no, _I repeated over and over in my head. I didn't want to die. Not here. _Please, Dad, save me..._ I wished although I knew it was futile.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly made the boy drop me right there. I fell to the ground and laid there for a second. I felt like a ragdoll.

"What's wrong with you!?" The voice shouted again. "Bring me back to Jiraiya-sensei!"

I stirred and got to my knees, crawling away and then falling again when I felt I was far enough to be safe. I watched as a boy with blonde hair and whisker-like scars stood, facing the boy with a furious look on his face.

But Steam Boy twitced and groaned as if he was in agony, "Oh...Nanako..." He moaned. The boy fell to his knees and clutches his head with his hands. The steam around him faded and he curled into a ball again.

"Han!? Blondie!? Are you guys-" A boy with red hair suddenly emerged from the forest. He quickly assessed the situation and turned to me.

"What did you do!?" His fists glowed red and my eyes widened.

"N-n-no! I-I didn't-" I stuttered.

"She didn't do anything! Your little friend went crazy and tried to kill her! Then he just started crying again..." Whiskers said to Red Hands. Red Hands looked at his blonde companion and bit his lip. He walked over to me and held out his hand.

"Sorry about that, I...I jumped to conclusions." Red Hands said apologetically. He smiled but I didn't bother taking his hand. I got to my feet by myself despite my burning back which kept screaming at my brain to stop moving. I was a bit embarrassed to have acted so weak but I quickly put it past me.

"You guys," I said with a sigh. "Are completely and undeniably psychotic."

/\/\/\

The girl, who we later found out was Fuu, was sleeping, her head resting on her hands. I glanced at Han who was still out of it. He usually wasn't so emotional and I wondered if it had anything to do with what I said to him. I didn't know a thing about his past but maybe I had plucked the wrong string. I hoped he would get over it.

"I still don't understand why we can't go back to the Inn. Pervy Sage might be in danger and we can save him still!" Naruto whined.

"Your father Jiraiya told me to get you away from there, I'm not about to send you back. And the Akatsuki might still be tracking us, I wanted to keep moving but then Fuu showed up and my plans were ruined." I told him for like the millionth time.

"He-he's not my dad..." Naruto said. I could hear the sadness in his voice. "Why are we keeping that girl around anyway? She doesn't seem nice."

"I told you, I had that feeling in my gut. That gut feeling led me to you and you're a jinchuuriki aren't you?" I said. "That Akatsuki guy said it himself."

"You mean that Nine-Tails thing? I've been sorta wondering what he meant by that..." Naruto said.

"You mean...no one ever told you about..." My voice trailed off. Suddenly I felt like I should just shut up now. Knowing what he really was would only make things worse. He didn't deserve to lose his humanity yet. He didn't deserve to feel like a monster. But he had to know. This was crucial information he needed to find out sooner or later.

"You see, Naruto, there's something special about all three of us. You, me, and Han. That special thing is a beast that's sealed within each of us." I began to explain. "Maybe even Fuu has one too."

"A beast? I...no..." I knew he was thinking about something related to it. I wonder how he even got such a powerful being locked inside of him. After all the Nine-Tails was the strongest out of all of the bijuu.

"You've never seen a seal anywhere on your body? Especially the stomach." I added.

"Yeah, sometimes when I get really mad my stomach twists and there's some weird black markings on my stomach." Naruto admitted. "And then I have dreams where I'm in this big labyrinth and the floor is completely covered with water. I see a red light and I go towards it. But all I see is this big giant bubbly thing behind a large gate. It keeps telling me to come free it and I start walking toward it, but before I open it, I wake up."

That did not sound good at all. "Listen good Naruto because this part is the most important. The beast sealed within you is very powerful and probably very persuasive. Mine has four tails and yours has nine, hence the name. These beasts are very strong and are practically pools of chakra you can withdraw...well, the process is complicated and I'll explain it to you when you're older." I kept going, explaining everything about the Nine-Tails and what a jinchuuriki is and why those Akatsuki guys were hunting him. When I was finished he seemed to be lost in thought, digesting everything very slowly.

"Pervy...Jiraiya-sensei never told me..." He whispered.

"I understand why. Being a jinchuuriki comes with a lot of responsibilities and downsides. Your sensei probably only had you're wellbeing in mind when withholding that information. I was only around eight or nine when Son was sealed within me. I've been living with him for a couple years now, so I have some experience. Feel free to ask me anything about it alright?" I assured him. He nodded but still seemed to be thinking about it.

"I, uh, I'm gonna get some sleep. See ya in the morning." He said. "And...thanks...for everything, ya know?"

I smiled, "Yeah, anytime."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello again everyone! Hope you are enjoying the story and here's another quick chapter to sort of build up the story and give you guys enough reading material! By the way, Nagato is an extremely hard character to write. I don't know if I should make him a comical sort of ruthless? (That's the type of villains I like) I don't want to make him OOC and I think I did. I'll try to fix him in the next chapter you see him!_

Chapter 3: Bud

I watched carefully as Pain threw the man onto the ground at Nagato's feet. I felt my heart break when I realized it was Master Jiraiya. The man who had trained us when we were young and gave us all the right morals to follow. Now here he was, beaten and bloodied, blood ran down from his head down his face. His forehead protector was gone and his white hair was no longer tied back. Instead it fell around his body. He tried to get to his feet but collapsed immediately. I didn't bother changing my expression to match my surprise.

"While hunting for the Nine-Tails, I found him. He was the jinchuuriki's protector." Pain spoke softly.

"Jiraiya-sensei...it's been so long. I've been trying to find leads on you but no one in Konoha seems to know where you are." Nagato said. He sat up from his throne and walked down the steps. He kneeled in front of Jiraiya-sensei who was trembling slightly.

"Nagato..." I said. He turned to look at me for a second but otherwise, ignored me.

"How are you, sensei? What have you been doing these past years?" Nagato asked. Jiraiya coughed violently, but still had the strength to look up at his student.

"You know, writing, doing research..." He managed to say with a grin.

"Jiraiya, I'm going to skip the pleasantries and cut to the chase. I'm aware that the Fourth Hokage entrusted his son Naruto Uzumaki and the Nine-Tails to you, yes?"

Jiraiya said nothing.

"Naruto escaped," Pain interrupted. "With two other jinchuuriki. We didn't get the chance to chase after them as Jiraiya here put up quite a long fight."

"I see...so his existence is pointless, yes?" Nagato stood motioning to Jiraiya.

"I don't care what you do with him to be honest." Pain simply stated.

"Yahiko, I know you're still in there somewhere. Not this Pain bullshit. I mean _you_. And if you're the Yahiko I know you won't want this man killed before your eyes." Nagato said. Pain didn't even blink an eye.

"I...am no longer, Yahiko. Yahiko died when you did this to me. Now all that remains is Pain." Pain said. He looked at the floor.

Nagato's eyes widened and for a second he looked as if he were about to rip Pain to shreds. "You are the man who will carry out justice upon this Hell we call the world. We will deal judgment to the impure. We will rid this world of pain and suffering and create a new world. That can only be accomplished with the Six Paths of Pain, do you understand, Yahiko? I am the god in this world and I have chosen you to be my instrument of judgment."

Nagato had changed. I knew that much. He wasn't the same anymore. After seeing Yahiko almost perish once, and so many of our comrades fall during the Third Shinobi World War he had changed. The rinnegan had made him a power-crazy maniac, hell bent on dealing justice onto this damaged world. I agreed that there was a problem with shinobi that needed to be fixed, but the methods he used to obtain his goals were frightening. Every day I woke up and felt sorry for the people who had died because of Nagato. I felt sorry for Yahiko, who was forever bound to Nagato by that cursed rinnegan and doomed to become Pain. I felt sorry for Jiraiya, who would undoubtedly die here and be added on to my guilt list.

But maybe I can save him right here. Right now.

"Nagato...maybe Jiraiya doesn't have to die." I intervened. Nagato turned to face me, an incredulous look on his face.

"I never knew you had a voice, Konan. You always seemed like a follower to me." Nagato said. I didn't bother showing how much his comment had angered me. I didn't show a lot of things.

"I'm full of surprises, Nagato. But either way I still believe he has some use to us." I continued.

"And what might that use be?"

"Bait. We use him to lure the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki here, back to Konoha. Then we capture him." I was genuinely surprised such a plan had been so quickly formed out of desperation.

Nagato smiled, "That's not such a bad idea. How does that sound, Jiraiya? You'll be used to kill the very boy you tried to protect."

Jiraiya gave him a murderous look and I knew I had made a mistake.

"Looks like he agrees." Nagato said, he turned and sat back onto his throne. "Go fetch Itachi and Shisui, I'm going to need some skilled shinobi for this job."

/\/\/\

"No! Don't eat that you idiot! Those are poisonous!" Fuu screamed at me. It wasn't the first time she had made some remark to point out how much of an idiot I was.

"How do you know!?" I challenged bringing the berries closer to my mouth.

"My mom's good at this stuff. She used to work in the fields before I became royalty." Fuu verified. I lifted an eyebrow but all she did was smile. "Fine, go ahead and eat them. It's not my fault if you die or end up with diarrhea or something."

I frowned and threw the berries over my shoulder. Her smile only widened. I sighed and the both of us walked back to where Han and Roshi were. Roshi was looking over a map while Han was skipping stones in a nearby lake.

"Okay guys, I've figured out our location. Fuu, you're from Takigakure right?" Roshi asked.

She nodded in response.

"So it makes sense if we were in Kusagakure or the outskirts of Iwagakure based on where we met you." Roshi further explained.

"And all I see for miles is grass, trees, and oh look! More grass," I joked. No one laughed creating a very awkward pause until Roshi spoke up again.

"I need to consult Son about something so you guys just...I don't know, don't do anything stupid I guess." Roshi said. The boy then sat crisscross on the ground with his hands together. He closed his eyes and we knew he was talking to his Tailed Beast. As far as Roshi had explained, Four-Tails was a giant monkey with red fur and sharp teeth. He was mean and aggressive but gave good advice now and then. He didn't sound much better than the Kyuubi to me.

I looked around since there wasn't much to do. We were in some sort of forest in the middle of the afternoon. The sun was high in the sky trying desperately to push through the tall tree branches and shine onto the forest floor. Different animals would come by occasionally but the second we moved, they scampered away. Unfortunately it meant getting dinner was a very difficult task.

I caught Fuu making faces again. She did that now and then especially when she thought no one was around. I swear that girl is insane, it's like she's talking to some imaginary friend of hers.

Han was his usual silent self. He was crouching down and staring at a butterfly that had caught his eye.

As usual, I was left to my thoughts which I was really hoping to avoid. I didn't want to think of Pervy Sage lying in a crater somewhere, dying. It made me just want to curl up and start crying. All I could think was that I never told him how much I cared about him, or how much I appreciated him being there and sticking with me. I felt lost and alone despite the three other people that were with me. Pervy Sage had always told me what I should and shouldn't do. I had become too dependent on him to protect me, to guide me. Now, I had to rely on myself and myself alone, or else I would die.

_Pervy Sage is not dead. _I repeated over and over. I couldn't allow myself to think he is. _I'm going to find him. _I assured myself. _No matter what it takes. _

/\/\/\

"Sunagakure!? We're going to that stupid desert!? You're kidding me..." Fuu whined as soon as I told everyone our next move.

"Listen, I talked to Son and he said the closest jinchuuriki to us was the One-Tail in Suna." I repeated.

"Yeah, but...why are we even looking for these people anyway? I get that they have those things sealed in all of them like we do but...it's not our responsibility." Fuu argued.

"Fuu, what was your life like before you met us?" I asked, looking at her carefully.

She looked at the ground and her face became full of disdain. I knew her past wasn't much better than mine or Han's.

"Exactly. We're trying to help those guys out there who are ridiculed and pushed away from society just because of what's inside them. Besides, the Akatsuki are after them. It's best if we warn them before they're really in trouble." I continued.

She nodded and continued walking with her head down. I didn't mean to make her upset but it's not exactly easy to just forget about the past and move on.

We continued walking on in silence with Han at the rear and me at the front. I knew it would take a long time before we would even enter the Land of Wind, four to five days tops. Plus we'd be spending half of it in the desert which meant we needed supplies. Water, food, clothes, the whole nine yards.

We decided to stop for a while and see if we could hunt or find anything good. Naruto and I went by a river we came across to fill our canteens with clean water since we had ran out a little while ago.

"Hey, Roshi," Naruto suddenly piped up. I turned to the whiskered boy whilst dipping my canteen in the river.

"Why are you really doing this?" He asked. My eyebrows instinctively rose and my mouth was agape for a few seconds. It was a hard question to answer if I was being honest to myself. Half the time I didn't know what I was doing. I guess I had seen a slice of what my life could be like, to not be some tool of destruction but to be something more. I had seen Konoha while controlled by the Akatsuki. It was peaceful. Kids ran around playing tag while the adults walked down the streets chatting or shopping around. I knew the Akatsuki were after Son but I couldn't help but feel they were doing something good here. I wanted life to be like that for all nine of us, but I also wanted to protect them from the Akatsuki. I felt it was my destiny. Then maybe I could redeem myself for all the sins I've committed in the past.

"I don't want to see us die and curse the world because it killed us. I want to see our kind flourish and embrace who we are. I want a better future for all of us." I told him. Naruto seemed shocked for a moment, but he gave me his widest smile and continued his task.

"I like you, Roshi. You're different." He said, looking up at the sky. It was my turn to smile.

"Well, Naruto," I said, bottling my canteen and getting to my feet. "We're all a little different."

/\/\/\

Father was yelling at me again. My siblings watched from a distance with the same pitiful expression.

I would kill them all one day. I would rip them apart until they were nothing but blood and guts. I would wipe Father's furious glare right off his face. He didn't deserve to exist. To live. He was as much of a monster as I was.

"The villagers are getting more and more angry. I thought you would be different Gaara, I thought you would be useful! All you are is worthless piece of junk. You're not even worth being my son."

With that Father left the room, slamming the door behind him.

_KILL THEM ALL! KILL, KILL, KILL! EVERY SINGLE ONE! _Shukaku yelled mindlessly. It was the same thing every day. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill. He always wanted more blood. I used to ignore him, I used to say he was wrong and mean and a terrible person.

But now I see how right he is.

Every villager in this godforsaken village deserved death. They didn't know how much I suffered every day of my life. Every day they would give me looks and whisper behind my back about how much of a monster I am. They would tell me how evil I was and how I should be killed. If they wanted me to be a monster, well then that's what they got.

All that exists in this world his hate and evil. Love is an illusion. Pity is an illusion. Kindness is an illusion. None of those things exist in the shinobi world.

I exist for blood. To carry out my mother's will.

"Gaara, maybe you should try to be a bit more careful around the villagers." Temari said, giving me her fake smile. I knew she feared me. She had every right to.

"Father's only going to keep yelling at you until he just gets rid of you for good. He already lost faith in you when you went loose a couple years ago." Kankuro added.

My sand moved faster than he could avoid it. It covered his entire body and only left his face intact. I saw the terror in his eyes. But that's not the only emotion I saw.

He hated me. And I hated him too.

"I'll crush ever bone in your body and bury your body in the desert. You'll be in agony until the day you finally die from your wounds." I threatened. "Don't you ever say such things to me."

I tightened my grip on him and he let out a muffled cry. Temari quickly intervened, "Gaara! Please, we're your siblings! Don't kill Kankuro!" Of course. She cared about Kankuro but she never gave a damn about me.

But still, I let go of Kankuro and the sand returned to my gourd, "I don't care about any of you. Now leave before I really kill the both of you."

They both left the room with Kankuro swearing under his breath. I was no longer focused on him, Temari, or my father.

I pushed open the doors to my balcony and looked at the sky.

The moon was full and I was thirsty.


End file.
